Frog foot-guard



G. W VAUGHAN.

FROG FOOT GUARD.

APPLICAHON FILED OCT. I, 1919.

Patented May 18, 1920.

,4 TTORNE rs G. W. VAUGHAN.

FROG FOOT GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. I. 1919.

1,340,582, Patented May 18, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

llgiii-p v A TTOHWEY GEORGE WASHINGTON VAUGHAN, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK.

FROG FOOT-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1920.

Application filed October 1, 1919. Serial No. 327,634.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE l VAsHINc'roN VAUGHAN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Mount Vernon, in the county of VVestchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Frog Foot-Guards, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates in general to a railway track construction and particularly relates to an insert designed to be disposed in fixed position in the angle formed between the main rail and the spring rail in the toe end of a spring rail frog.

One ofthe objects of the invention is to provide a simple form of commercially perfected structure which can be utilized as a combined anti creeping device and foot guard.

More definitely outlined the lnvention has for an object to provide in a single foot withstand the strains to which such devices are habitually subjected. There is also featured a configuration which will utilize in its construction the least possible amount of material and in which the metal used is distributed in such a manner as will most efliciently coact with the conventional forms of rails utilized so that, when disposed in position, an effective anti-creeping is pro vided with a cover which acts as a foot vention, and the invention also consists in certain new and novel features of construc tion and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view looking down .and about half way up the height of the rails.

Fig. 3 is an outline view in side elevation of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with one of the rails removed;

Figs. 4 to 9, inclusive, are transverse sec tional views taken respectively on the similarly-des1gnated section lmes in Fig. 1, and Fig. 10 1s a longltudinal sectional view taken on the line 1010 of Fig. 1.

In the following description and in the claims, parts will be identified by specific names for convenience of expression but they are intended to be as generic in their apphcation to similar parts as the art will permit. In the drawing there is shown a main continuous rail 11 and a spring rail 12 disposed atan acute angle to each other to form the toeend of a spring rail frog. There is also disclosed on each of the rails, fish plates 13 for connecting the rails across their joints, all as is well known in such constructions. I

The insert constituting the subject matter of this disclosure is positioned in the angle formed by the two rails and includes a tie bar 15 fastened at opposite ends respectively to the main rail and to the spring rail by through bolts 16. The ends of this tie bar are flattened to form plate 17 which depends below the middle portion to engage the top of the bottom flange of the rails, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, or to engage the top of the bottom flange of the fish plate as shown more particularly in Fig. 4:. Intermediate its ends the bar is of the square, rigid bar construction shown in cross-section in Figs. 5 and 6., This solid bar provides a seat for the foot guard, which in turn acts as a cover for the tie rod. The rod is of a particularly heavy construction and is designed to permit the least possible elongation under stress or working conditions.

The foot guard is formed of two parts, a relatively massive and rigid wing 18 and a relatively light spring rail wing 19. The rigid wing is provided with a socket 20 open at its bottom as shown in Fig. 6 to receive the bar 15. The rigid wing is also pro vided with extensions 21 which constitute reinforcements for the same. Some of these reinforcements as shown in Fig. 8 are massive and fit between the under side of the head 22 of the main rail and the upper face of the lower flange 23 as shown more particularly in Figs. 7 and 8. The main wing also includes a horizontally extending sliding plate 2d designed to underlap a similar plate 25 constituting a horizontal extension from the spring wing 19. The wide end of the main wing is depressed to form an inclined end 26 (see Fig. 10) which prevents objects from entering the space under the foot guard. The spring wing is fastened to the spring rail by means of through bolts 27 and coact with the main wing to form the foot guard which extends continuously between the rails.

It is apparent that by this construction relative movement transversely ofthe length of the rails is provided by the sliding engagement of the plates 24 and 25 one on the other, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 and at the same time the tie rod 15 prevents the creeping of the spring rail relative to the main rail. The plates are so disposed that they are positioned as close to the top of the rails as is possible, thus permitting the installation of the covered anti-creeping bar close to the rail heads and in position to offer the maximum resistance to the longitudinal movement of the spring rail.

While I have shown and described, and have pointed out in the annexed claims, certain novel features of my invention, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a main rail and a spring rail disposed to form an angle therebetween, of a tie bar disposed in the space between said rails extending at an angle thereto less than a right angle and connecting the rails to form an anti-creeper.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a main rail and a spring rail disposed to form an angle therebetween,

of a tie bar disposed in the space between said rails extending at an angle thereto less than a right angle and connecting the rails to form an anti-creeper and a foot guard dislposed in said space and over-lapping said tie 3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a main rail and a spring rail disposed to form an angle therebetween, of a tie bar disposed in the space between said rails, extending at an angle thereto less than a right angle and connecting the rails to form an anti-creeper and a foot guard including two members capable of relative movement comprising a rigid wing fixed to the main rail and a spring wing fixed to the spring rail.

4. In. a device of the class described, the combination with a main rail and a spring rail disposed to form an angle therebetween, of a tie bar disposed in the space between said rails, extending at an angle thereto less than a right angle and connecting the rails to form an anti-creeper, and a foot guard including two members capable of relative movement comprising a rigid wing fixed to the main rail and a spring wing fixed to the spring rail, said wings including lapping plates for sliding movement one on the other.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a main rail and a spring rail, of a tie bar extending for a material distance longitudinally of the rails and having opposite ends secured to the rails to prevent longitudinal relative creeping.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination with a main rail and a spring rail, of a tie bar extending for a material distance longitudinally of the rails and having opposite ends secured to the rails to prevent longitudinal relative creeping, a main wing carried by said tie bar and a spring wing carried by the spring rail and coacting with the main wing to form a foot guard between the rails. i

7.. In a device of the class described, the combination with a main rail and a spring rail, of a tie bar having opposite ends secured to the rails to prevent longitudinal relative creeping and means forsecuring the spring wing to the spring rail.

8. In a device of the class described,the combination with a main rail and a spring rail, of a tie bar having opposite ends secured to the rails to prevent longitudinal relative creeping and means for securing the spring wing to the spring rail, one of said wings having a fit between the underside of the head and the topof the lower flange of the rail in engagement with said wing.

9.In a device of the class described, the combination with a main rail and a spring rail, of a tie bar connecting the rail to prevent ,relative longitudinal creeping, a main wing carriedby said spring rail and coacting with the main wing to form a foot guard between the rails and means extending internally from the main wing to reinforce the same. I I

r 10. In a device of the class described, the combination with a main .railand a spring rail, of a tie bar connecting the rail to prevent relative longitudinalcreeping, a main wing carried by said main rail and coacting with the main wing to form a foot guard between the rails, one end of the main Wing being depressed to form an inclined end and means extending internally from the main wing to reinforce the same.

11. In a device of the class described, the combination of two rails, a wing fitted between the head and lower flange of one of said rails and provided with a part extending toward the other rail to form a foot guard, said wing provided with a rod receiving socket opening therefrom downwardly, and a tie rod for connecting the rails disposed in said socket.

12. In a device of the class described, the

said rails and provided with a part extending toward the other rail to form a foot guard, said wing provided with integral extensions vertically disposed to reinforce the wing vertically, a rod receiving socket opening therefrom downwardly, and a tie rod for connecting the rails disposed in said socket. Signed at Mount Vernon in the county of lVestchester and State of New York this 17th day of September A. D. 1919.

I GEORGE WASHINGTON VAUGHAN. 

